Frod''s office was as bare as my own, but much cleaner. It sat at the back of the station security offices, so to get there, I was paraded through the open floor of other security officers'' cubicles. They all got a good look at me. There was many a narrowed eye that tracked my progress.


    Unsurprising, really. I was the same about private eyes back when I was a Keeper.


    "Have a seat," Frod gestured to one before his desk, with all the confidence of someone who knew it wouldn''t fall apart when I sat on it. Or, I suppose, if it did, he wouldn''t particularly care.


    I sat, and he sat opposite, fixing me with a dark, beady eye. He pushed a digipad in my direction. "All new business owners in the station are supposed to report to me upon arrival on the Thorn." The digipad screen was filled with a long empty form demanding all sorts of personal information. I sighed.


    "Apologies, Constable. I must have missed that instruction somewhere."


    "I''ve looked into you, Sophora."


    "Marys, please, Constable. Sophora is my grandmother''s name."


    He chewed on that one for a bit. Literally, his lips smacked. It looked and sounded like he was chewing on his tongue. "An alias, hmm? You''ll have to note that down in your profile." He folded his arms. "I see that on Gerondia, you were with the Keepers, but you were disciplined and dismissed. The reasons why were not readily available to me, not even for good money."


    Well now, that was interesting. Someone back home was being cagey about what they''d done to me. Good to know.


    And good to know that Frod here didn''t seem to be above bribery as an information gathering tactic. I could only assume that perhaps that went both ways. FIled that away for a later date.


    He grumbled as I gave him only silence. "No explanation?"


    A taste of the truth wouldn''t hurt. "I was caught using Keeper resources for a personal investigation, Constable."


    "Ah. So now you''re a P.I., and if you waste company time, it''s all on your shoulders. I suppose I should be happy you haven''t applied to be part of station security then."


    "Yep." I leaned back and put my boots on his desk. Then, at his stern frown, I planted my feet back down on the ground. "So you just want me to fill out this form, and then I can be on my way?"


    He stared at me over his folded arms for a few long seconds more, then spoke like a sigh, "Yes, that''s all I have for you. Today, that is. You can go sit out in the waiting area and hand over the form to the duty sergeant when you''re done."


    I knew his type. He was suspicious of me, and resentful that he didn''t have the power to waste my time even more than he was going to already. I felt like yanking his chain, but on the other hand, it wouldn''t do to piss him off too much. After all, I wanted to make a new start here, and having stat-sec on my back could make things more difficult. I stood and threw him a quick salute. "On it, sir."


    He rolled his eyes and grunted a farewell as I exited his office. I thought I caught a smirk right at the end there, but I could have been mistaken. I held my head high as I strode between the cubicles to the waiting room. There wasn''t a seat to be had once I got there, as they were all filled with people waiting to see the single duty officer behind the desk. I folded myself into a corner and filled out the form.


    It was long and frustrating to have to remember all the minutiae the form was calling for, but I got there in the end. I walked to the side of the line and while the officer searched in his computer for something, I said, "Can I just leave this with you -"


    "Take a number," he said without looking at me.


    "It''s just a form for the Cons -"


    "Take. A. Number." This time he did look at me. I glared right back, took a number without breaking eye contact, and went to crouch in my corner again.


    The clock in the waiting room was attuned to Terran time. Time stretched out as the smaller hand moved one whole digit, then finally my number was called. I passed the form across the desk, and stated clearly, so there would be no mix-up or further delays, "Here is my Station Business Profile, as requested by Constable Frod. Have you got everything you need from me now?"


    The officer looked over the form, lips pursed, then looked over it again. His mouth twitched as if he were resisting a sneer. "Sure."


    "Thanks," I mumbled, and walked out. No wonder Frod had been smirking when I left his office.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I passed the Vindemia Cafe on my way back to my office, so I saw that Xen was back at work. Xen waved out to stop me, and after delivering a tray to some customers, came smoothly through the jumble of chairs and tables towards me. "Sorry, I just left everything in your office. I wasn''t sure what to do."


    "Good call. Frod and his friends wanted to occupy some of my time, so I''d get the message that they were in charge."


    "Ugh, what a welcome to the station."


    I glanced into the distance. "I know their kind."


    "Anyway, is it all right if I come by after my shift in three hours?"


    "Absolutely. You can talk me through what''s in the boxes. Uh... do you have one of those wristband thingees? I can give you access." I know, I know. Marys, you move fast. What can I say?


    "Oh, sure." Xen held out a slim wrist with a matching wristband to mine, though a little more age-beaten.


    "How do I..." I tapped a few commands on my wristband, and so did Xen. "Ah, I think this is it. Now what do I?"


    "We touch them together," Xen said, and we held our wrists out, backs of hands brushing together. Our wristbands chirped as the exchange completed.


    My screen was flashing with Xen''s apartment floor and number. "Wait, what?"


    "You have access to my apartment too, now. If you need it. For whatever reason."


    "Oh... good thinking." I smiled to cover up my confusion.


    "Great. I''ll see you then... Amaryllis."


    My smile crunched down into a cringe. Xen laughed, and damn, if I wouldn''t put up with my full name just so I could hear that laugh again, that short burst of melodic joy. "Can you not?"


    "Sorry, Marys."


    "Better. See you later."


    I waved goodbye to Xen, and Xen waved goodbye to me. I walked away, but still couldn''t quite take my eyes off Xen. Xen meanwhile stood there, still waving. I finally had to turn my head or risk bumping into someone or falling off the balcony to the Atrium floor. There''s worse ways to die.


    Xen was totally into me. Right? I had little experience reading into synthetic behaviours on these matters, but Xen was acting spellbound and giggly as much as I was. And we''d just given each other access to our rooms. Synthetic or not, this had to be something. I''d have killed to have a friend to discuss this with right about now, to make sure I was judging the vibes correctly.


    Unfortunately for me, an old friend had me on the mind just then too.


    I got back to my office and unpacked while I daydreamed about Xen. There really wasn''t that much to unpack. Since I had that extra stipend from the generous Black Rose on top of my severance pay, I was feeling a little flush. I had a brief flick through the catalogues from the station''s various furnishing businesses on the data screen embedded into the wall. I was just debating the pros and cons of two different decorative lamps, when the data screen flashed with an incoming call alert.


    The name on the message wiped all the nice springtime feelings away.


    My finger hovered over the reject button. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I accepted the call.


    She was just as devastating as always, even many light years away and over a poor connection. Not a hint of balling on her skin at all, she looked fresh and plump with the natural humidity of Gerondian air. Her long hair had darkened with winter''s approach, almost to black, matching her eyes which pinned me in place, even now, so far from her commanding presence.


    And to think, I must have looked such a mess on her end of the screen.


    "Astera."


    "Amaryllis." It was much worse hearing my name in her mouth, and yet part of me still wanted to hear it. "You said you were going to call when you arrived on the Thorn. It''s been hours now. I''ve seen the manifest update."


    A bunch of excuses came trippingly to my tongue: ''I was busy'', ''I meant to call you'', ''I got held up''. But I stopped them all, squared my shoulders, and answered, "Yeah, I never actually said I was going to do that, Astera. And I told you that we''re over, so you don''t get to do the whole worried girlfriend act anymore."


    Her dusky-pink face barely shifted, but for a raised eyebrow. "Uh, excuse me, but if you want the information you asked me for, I expect you to speak nicer to me than that."


    "I can be nice," I snapped back, and gave her a simpering smile. "Thanks for checking up on me, Astera. I''m settling in well. How are you?"


    "Sarcasm doesn''t become you, Marys."


    "Can we cut the dance short this time please? I actually have a client coming over soon. My first case."


    "Oh, congrats. Perfect time to pull out the bourbon I gave you to celebrate... if it even made it all the way there." I shuffled a touch to the right, hoping she couldn''t see the half-empty bottle out on my desk. "Anyway, I have business to attend to myself, so luckily for you, I have to keep this short." Sure, Astera, you''re the busy one, nothing at all to do with the fact that I said I''ve got places to be. "I have a lead for you."


    "I thought you said you were done helping me."


    "I did, but..."


    "But you want me to owe you a favour."


    She sent that simpering smile straight back at me. "Anyway, do you want to hear it or not?"


    I sighed and leaned one arm on the wall above the screen. "Give it to me."


    "I managed to dig up the manifest of the ship that took Lisia off world."


    "How?" the word came exploding out of my mouth. "People have searched for years for that!"


    Astera grinned, and her eyes, under lowered lids, took on that hypnotic quality I used to be addicted to. "Deathbed confession from one of her loyalists. She booked the flight in her name for Lisia, who promised to pay her back in kind. Since she was dying, it seemed time to finally give in to the idea she''d been cheated by her leader. Lisia escaped under the name Viola Meria Disanthus on the merchant ship Persoranos."


    "And where did she go?"


    "Where else? The Thorn."